Dani
Well-known member
I never thought this day would come so soon. I honestly never thought it would be Mike that went onto the big Blackbelly blind in the sky first. I figured it would be my boy Kenzie (who doesn’t hunt), but hoped that it would happen a looooong time in the future. I got the call that Steve and Mike (for Mike is Steve’s dog) were out hunting back in WA and Mike died in the truck after a good morning of quail hunting. Heart attack or stroke probably, Steve said. Quick. Sure as hell beats slow, lingering and painful. So there is that.
I know that Mike wasn’t “mine”, but he was every bit one of my boys as Kenzie and my black dog, Drake. I only saw him when he was in FL, or the lucky occasions I could hunt with him in WA. But that didn’t matter. Time and space makes no difference with things like that, at least for me. He always greeted me with a smile and a dance every time I got to see him, and it didn’t matter if it had been months or just a few hours since I last saw him.
I got the call Saturday evening and I took my two boys for a walk out to the dock and sat there watching the sun going down in a gorgeous display of pink and orange and the dove flight picking up, thinking about the times I’d made that walk with my three boys, the countless times I’d take Mike out there to chase a dummy off the dock, how he just could never be content watching the sun go down. He always wanted to have his head rubbed, which inevitably caused a dog pile because the other two wanted their share of loving too. Well I sat out there watching a most gorgeous sunset, tears streaming down my face as I hugged my two boys and told them that Mike would never again join us in this ritual. At least he was doing what he loved when he passed, and he was with his favoritist person in the world.
I never thought when I dropped Steve and Mike at the airport for them to fly home that that would be the last walk I’d ever take with Mike, those would be the last smoochies I’d ever get from him, the last time he’d ever dance with me, or the last time he’d rub his head all over me like a cat. I never thought that saying goodbye then, was truly going to be GOODBYE.
Having never experienced this kind of heart wrenching loss, and not really knowing what else to do, I wrote Mike a letter to say see you later….
My dearest Mikey-
I don’t know how much a part of your “pack” I was, but you were so very much a part of mine. You are one of my boys. And always will be. I remember the first time meeting you, being picked up from the airport with you in the back seat. You and I barely knew each other, but lordy you were so generous with your smoochies. My heart was stolen. Hey, everyone knows I’m a softie for big brown eyes, a wet black nose and a bunch of sweet smoochies.
With you I shot my first scoter. I shot my first bufflehead.
My first pheasant was with you. I will always remember that. How excited I got when you started chasing that long tailed, hugemongous spurred beautifully dressed bird. I shot and clearly didn’t kill him. You set off on one of the best retrieves I’ve ever gotten to see. You chased him through the brush and thicket that paralleled the railroad we were walking, over the rail road tracks a good ways, deep down into the cattails into the marsh next to the river. I thought the bird was gone. But what did I know about the tenacity of black dogs with a nose full of feathers that just won’t give up? I knew nothing. You were my hero when you brought my first pheasant back to me. You gave me smoochies and I gave you lots of hugs and pats and scratches. You were my hero.
I followed you without question as you lead me to my first quail, hun and grouse. I wasn’t always aware that you were leading me, but you were more than forgiving with me.
You couldn’t stand it when Drake got to fetch the dummy first. We had several discussions about how it wasn’t polite of you to chase after Drake’s dummy when it was his turn, I know I know….how could it ever be his turn, to chase the dummy. He was faster than you. But you asked and cajoled me so sweetly, I was happy to make Drake sit next to me, listening to him whining ever so softly that he couldn’t go. And I got to watch you bring me back your dummies….you were always full of smiles…you danced so sweetly…rubbing it in Drakes face that you brought me the dummy and you were going to go get the next one. When I wasn’t making y’all sit and stay, I always made sure that you had more retrieves than Drake. I always made sure that you were kept happy chasing dummies all over everyone’s yard.
I’d come down to hunt with you and I’d walk in the door and everything was of course all about you. Of course I came to see you. I was always greeted with your beautiful smile. I drove south for two hours so that I could come down to walk you down to the dock. I drove south so that I could throw the dummy for you off the dock. I drove south so that I could give you hugs and you could give me kisses. I drove south so that we could run and ride down the dikes to spend the morning chasing ducks. Sometimes we’d take it easy and we’d camp out at one of our duck spots, me taking you for walks in the middle of the night to go potty. You’d of course wear your gorgeous red hat. I couldn’t chance losing you. Your daddy would kill me. But then you were quite handsome in your red hat. So how could I not put your hat on every evening?
We spent only a few seasons together, but you were every bit one of my boys. You were always welcome in my home. I was ever so proud of you when you figured out that the dog door goes two ways. Even though I had to teach you that every single time you came to my home. I was so proud of you every single time. And my heart would melt every time you smiled at me, dancing in your pride, showing me how pleased you were that you figured out that blasted contraption. Truly it wasn’t made to make your life more difficult. I know you’d never believe me, but those things were actually made to make your life even more enjoyable. You could go outside any time you want. You could go outside and chase birds and squirrels and bears and any number of other critters that were invading your yard. You could go out and go potty whenever you wanted, as often as you wanted. You could go out and enjoy sun bathing. I’m not sure you figured that all out. But, I do believe you only enjoyed that perk whenever Drake or Kenzie went outside, since you just had to know what they were up to and didn't want to be out of the loop. Luckily I know that they enjoyed going in and out whenever they wanted. And I know that you were easily distracted once outside, so I never had to worry about a mess in my house, even though I worried if you would remember if you could figger out the door goes both ways if I might be later getting home than I planned.
There were so many things I could never list that made me smile that you did. And you smiled so often at me. You danced so often with me. I am honored to have been able to spend so much time with you. To have been with you to watch you make outstanding retrieves, teaching me so much about black dogs.
If there is such a thing as an afterlife, I sure hope that you’ll wait for me to catch up to you. I promise I’ll bring Drake and Kenzie for another big dog pile of smoochies and rubs and scratches and loves after we get back from chasing that last covey of quail. And I will have LOTS of cookies for you. Always. I promise.
Rest easy my boy. I love you.
You'll be missed greatly
I know that Mike wasn’t “mine”, but he was every bit one of my boys as Kenzie and my black dog, Drake. I only saw him when he was in FL, or the lucky occasions I could hunt with him in WA. But that didn’t matter. Time and space makes no difference with things like that, at least for me. He always greeted me with a smile and a dance every time I got to see him, and it didn’t matter if it had been months or just a few hours since I last saw him.
I got the call Saturday evening and I took my two boys for a walk out to the dock and sat there watching the sun going down in a gorgeous display of pink and orange and the dove flight picking up, thinking about the times I’d made that walk with my three boys, the countless times I’d take Mike out there to chase a dummy off the dock, how he just could never be content watching the sun go down. He always wanted to have his head rubbed, which inevitably caused a dog pile because the other two wanted their share of loving too. Well I sat out there watching a most gorgeous sunset, tears streaming down my face as I hugged my two boys and told them that Mike would never again join us in this ritual. At least he was doing what he loved when he passed, and he was with his favoritist person in the world.
I never thought when I dropped Steve and Mike at the airport for them to fly home that that would be the last walk I’d ever take with Mike, those would be the last smoochies I’d ever get from him, the last time he’d ever dance with me, or the last time he’d rub his head all over me like a cat. I never thought that saying goodbye then, was truly going to be GOODBYE.
Having never experienced this kind of heart wrenching loss, and not really knowing what else to do, I wrote Mike a letter to say see you later….
My dearest Mikey-
I don’t know how much a part of your “pack” I was, but you were so very much a part of mine. You are one of my boys. And always will be. I remember the first time meeting you, being picked up from the airport with you in the back seat. You and I barely knew each other, but lordy you were so generous with your smoochies. My heart was stolen. Hey, everyone knows I’m a softie for big brown eyes, a wet black nose and a bunch of sweet smoochies.
With you I shot my first scoter. I shot my first bufflehead.
My first pheasant was with you. I will always remember that. How excited I got when you started chasing that long tailed, hugemongous spurred beautifully dressed bird. I shot and clearly didn’t kill him. You set off on one of the best retrieves I’ve ever gotten to see. You chased him through the brush and thicket that paralleled the railroad we were walking, over the rail road tracks a good ways, deep down into the cattails into the marsh next to the river. I thought the bird was gone. But what did I know about the tenacity of black dogs with a nose full of feathers that just won’t give up? I knew nothing. You were my hero when you brought my first pheasant back to me. You gave me smoochies and I gave you lots of hugs and pats and scratches. You were my hero.
I followed you without question as you lead me to my first quail, hun and grouse. I wasn’t always aware that you were leading me, but you were more than forgiving with me.
You couldn’t stand it when Drake got to fetch the dummy first. We had several discussions about how it wasn’t polite of you to chase after Drake’s dummy when it was his turn, I know I know….how could it ever be his turn, to chase the dummy. He was faster than you. But you asked and cajoled me so sweetly, I was happy to make Drake sit next to me, listening to him whining ever so softly that he couldn’t go. And I got to watch you bring me back your dummies….you were always full of smiles…you danced so sweetly…rubbing it in Drakes face that you brought me the dummy and you were going to go get the next one. When I wasn’t making y’all sit and stay, I always made sure that you had more retrieves than Drake. I always made sure that you were kept happy chasing dummies all over everyone’s yard.
I’d come down to hunt with you and I’d walk in the door and everything was of course all about you. Of course I came to see you. I was always greeted with your beautiful smile. I drove south for two hours so that I could come down to walk you down to the dock. I drove south so that I could throw the dummy for you off the dock. I drove south so that I could give you hugs and you could give me kisses. I drove south so that we could run and ride down the dikes to spend the morning chasing ducks. Sometimes we’d take it easy and we’d camp out at one of our duck spots, me taking you for walks in the middle of the night to go potty. You’d of course wear your gorgeous red hat. I couldn’t chance losing you. Your daddy would kill me. But then you were quite handsome in your red hat. So how could I not put your hat on every evening?
We spent only a few seasons together, but you were every bit one of my boys. You were always welcome in my home. I was ever so proud of you when you figured out that the dog door goes two ways. Even though I had to teach you that every single time you came to my home. I was so proud of you every single time. And my heart would melt every time you smiled at me, dancing in your pride, showing me how pleased you were that you figured out that blasted contraption. Truly it wasn’t made to make your life more difficult. I know you’d never believe me, but those things were actually made to make your life even more enjoyable. You could go outside any time you want. You could go outside and chase birds and squirrels and bears and any number of other critters that were invading your yard. You could go out and go potty whenever you wanted, as often as you wanted. You could go out and enjoy sun bathing. I’m not sure you figured that all out. But, I do believe you only enjoyed that perk whenever Drake or Kenzie went outside, since you just had to know what they were up to and didn't want to be out of the loop. Luckily I know that they enjoyed going in and out whenever they wanted. And I know that you were easily distracted once outside, so I never had to worry about a mess in my house, even though I worried if you would remember if you could figger out the door goes both ways if I might be later getting home than I planned.
There were so many things I could never list that made me smile that you did. And you smiled so often at me. You danced so often with me. I am honored to have been able to spend so much time with you. To have been with you to watch you make outstanding retrieves, teaching me so much about black dogs.
If there is such a thing as an afterlife, I sure hope that you’ll wait for me to catch up to you. I promise I’ll bring Drake and Kenzie for another big dog pile of smoochies and rubs and scratches and loves after we get back from chasing that last covey of quail. And I will have LOTS of cookies for you. Always. I promise.
Rest easy my boy. I love you.
You'll be missed greatly
